May 2024

Lisa Stump, MS, RPh, FASHP

Dear Colleagues,

I am thrilled to serve as your inaugural Chair for the ASHP Section of Digital and Telehealth Practitioners, alongside five exceptional pharmacy leaders that provide unique perspectives for pharmacy innovation. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to get to know our SDTP leadership.

The SDTP Executive Committee met for the first time on February 29, 2024, and over these past few months has focused on developing the Section’s priorities. As we reflect on current practices, challenges, and opportunities for digital health and telehealth in pharmacy, we feel that it is essential to lead by focusing on:

• Ensuring the safe, responsible, equitable, and appropriate adoption of new digital health tools, such as artificial intelligence, for operational workflow and clinical outcome optimization in the medication-use process.
• Advocating for patient-first care, enabled by the effective use of technology.
• Leveraging pharmacy expertise in digital transformation plans of hospitals and health systems.
• Amplifying education, training, and upskilling opportunities for the current and future pharmacy workforce related to existing, new, and emerging digital health tools or applications.
• Designing a contemporary vision for the pharmacy profession that leverages technological innovation to enhance the scope, capabilities, and contributions of pharmacy practitioners and technicians.

We are most effective when we leverage people, processes, and technology in a way that advances care. Technological innovations and digital tools have the power to forge meaningful connections between colleagues, patients and providers, data and providers, and ultimately connect resources to those who need it most. Exploring the augmentation of human capabilities through the use of technology to optimize care outcomes is critical work for our Section.

Our Section has a lot to do, as we look at complex and rapidly evolving healthcare and technology landscape. We are excited to work with telehealth practitioners to advance existing and anticipated business and clinical needs, explore integration of technology into practitioner responsibilities, define and develop the role of pharmacists in a digitally augmented care process, enhance the digital literacy of our workforce, and ensure that pharmacy leads in digital transformation as part of interprofessional teams.

While we continue to examine current and future trends to build the Section’s foundation, we are excited to engage with you. Below, I have highlighted just a few of the many opportunities within ASHP for digital and telehealth practitioners and leaders:

• Join us for the Summit on Artificial Intelligence during the 2024 Pharmacy Futures this June.
• Follow ASHP’s evolving professional advocacy and policy efforts related to digital health, telehealth, and artificial intelligence.
• Volunteer your time and expertise to meaningful projects and discussions within SDTP.
• Share your thoughts, questions, or reflections through a blog or discussion post on SDTP’s Connect community.

We look forward to welcoming and connecting with you over the coming months and are excited for a productive year ahead.

Kind regards,

Lisa S. Stump, MS, RPh, FASHP
Chair, Section of Digital and Telehealth Practitioners
sections@ashp.org